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Profile of Ahmedabad
Category:Ahmedabad This site will contain all governance related information for the city of Ahmedabad. This page is under construction. Please help to construct it. Click on the "Edit this page" tab at the top of this page and add content. Make sure that you add Category:Ahmedabad to all Ahmedabad related pages that you create to ensure that the page gets included in the Ahmedabad wiki. (This site is a worldwide site, so if you don't add the category, the page will not get included in the Ahmedabad section.) NGOs and Initiatives in Ahmedabad * Ahmedabad Heritage Walk * Centre for Environment Education Heritage Department A.M.C. * Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation website = About Ahmedabad = Leading Industrial and Commercial city of Gujarat Geographical Status * Coordinates:: 230 1'N ,720 41'E * Seventh Largest City of India * On the Bank of River Sabarmati * Connected with other Mega cities by Railways , Roads and Air Transportation * It was Capital of Gujarat State till June 5, 1970 Ahmedabad, the biggest City of Gujarat, lies on 230 1' North Latitude and 720 37' East Longitude on the bank of River of Sabarmati. The city is well connected by rail, roads and airways with all the important cities of the country. It is the Seventh largest city of the country with an area of area::190.84 sqKm. and a population of population::2.877 Million according to 1991 Census. After the bifurcation of ex-billingual Bombay State in May 1960, Ahmedabad was a capital of Gujarat, till it was shifted to Gandhinagar; a newly constructed capital town at a distance of 24 kms. in the year 1970 . Ahmedabad is now a district headquarter and many state-level and district-level offices are located in the city. The city is agglomerated with the surrounding towns of Dani Limda, Naroda, Odhav, Ranip, Sahijpur Bogha and Sardarnagar. City lies in a region of North Gujarat which is a Plain, dry and sandy area. The city covers an area of 47,156 acres. Except small hills of Thaltej-Jodhpur Tekra, entire surroundings of the city is a plain area. There are no woods or forests nearby. The sea is at a distance of 80.65 kms. at the gulf of Cambay. Sabarmati, one of the longest rivers of Gujarat, bifurcates the city into eastern and western parts, connected by five bridges, two of which are constructed after independence. Though the river is perennial, it gets practically dried up in the summer, leaving only small stream of water flowing fleebly. The following figures of minimum and maximum Altitude of the city would show only marginal variations indicating a flat surface: Topography - Altitude Highest Point Highest Point::50.90 Meters Lowest Point Lowest Point::46.63 Meters Average 48.77 Meters Year Temperature ( 0 Centigrade) ---- Maximum Minimum 1971 44.3 8.2 1981 44.4 8.0 1991 46.6 4.8 1992 44.4 4.8 1993 44.4 6.9 1994 45.7 6.6 1995 45.4 8.4 1996 44.4 7.9 1997 44.0 8.4 1998 45.5 6.0 1999 43.8 6.2 2000 44.2 4.9 2001 44.5 6.6 2002 46.3 5.4 The city of Ahmedabad is at present having an important Railway junction on: The Bombay-Viramgam Broad gauge The Ahmedabad-Khedbrahma meter gauge The Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar meter gauge sections of the Western Railway Besides the broad and meter gauge railway stations of the city, it has five other stations viz. Maninagar, Vatva, Asarwa, Gandhigram and Sabarmati. Apart form its central position in the heart of Gujarat, Ahmedabad enjoyed in the past a strategic importance in view of its location on the main highway to Rajputana and Malwa regions on the one hand to Saurashtra Peninsula on the other. External References * Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation website ---- Glorious History of Ahmedabad :King Karandev – 1, the Solanki Ruler, had waged a war against the Bhil king of Ashapall or Ashaval. After his victory Karandev established the city called "Karnavati". This Hindu kingdom of Karnavati retained its importance till early 15th century when Gujarat fell to the Muslim Sultanate. This was when Sultan Ahmad Shah conquered Karnavati in 1411 A.D. If legends are to be believed Sultan Ahmed Shah was astonished to see that the rabbits on the river bank, instead of running away in terror confronted his hounds in defiance. Believing the land to be sanctified he laid the foundation of Ahmedabad-"The city of Ahmed" at 1.20PM on Thursday the second day of jilkad A.H. (26th Jan 1411 A.D.) The city enjoyed the position of royal capital for a period of about 162 years, 1411-1573 A.D. till the independent Sultanate of Gujarat came to an end in reign of Murzaffar-III. As regards the location of the three towns of Ashaval,Karnavati and Ahmedabad ,Ferguson comments: Modern investigation has not yet proceeded sufficiently far to enable it to be stated with certainty how far Karnavati was contiguous to or identical with Ashawal and Shreenaggur,both of which names occur in early records as those of a great city hereabouts,but there can be no doubt that the new town of Ahmed Shah, to which he gave the name Ahmedabad, and its suburbs, embraced them all. Ahmedabad was built in an open and spacious plain in the immediate vicinity of Ashaval to the east of Sabarmati. It then comprised a smaller now known as the Bhadra Fort or the citadel of Bhadra. Other structures were added to its from time to time. The city was enclosed by a fortwall six miles in the circumference containing 12 gates, 189 bastions and over 6000 battlements in 1487 by Mohammed Begdo, the grandson of Ahmedshah, to protect it from outside invaders. It was planned according to the ancient Indo-Aryan tradition of a royal capital with main roads, thoroughfares and subsidiary roads. Under the fostering care of the sultans of Gujarat , the city of Ahmedabad went on expanding in every direction by the addition of new localities and suburbs,on both the sides of river, and gradually rose into a well built city, with well-laid-out residential in marketing areas and beautified by palaces,mansions, mausoleums and mosques of reservoirs(lakes) and gardens erected by the noblemen of the sultans and wealthy merchants of the capital. Conditions of the province were chaotic in the time of Sultan Muzaffar III. Akbar, the great Moghul emperor, started out the Gujarat expedition and conquered it in 1573.Though Ahmedabad lost its importance as the capital of Gujarat during Moghul reign, it retained its importance as one of the thriving centres of trade in the country and chief city of Gujarat. The author of "Haft-Iqlim" (1593) refers to its fame as a grand and flourishing center of commerce and industry in the following words: Ahmedabad is unique in the whole of India in matter of neatness and flourishing condition, and it is superior to other city in the excellence of its monuments. It would be no exaggeration to say that in the whole world there exists no town so grand and beautiful. Its streets are spacious and well arranged, unlike those in other towns, its shops with two or three stories each are finely built, and its inhabitants both men and women are graceful and delicate. The moghul rulers that followed Aurangzeb were weak and the moghul viceroys(Subas) were busy fighting amongst themselves and with the Marathas. This resulted in disorder in the country, and from 1737 to 1753, there was a joint rule of Mughal Viceroy and the Peshwa over Ahmedabad. In 1753 the combined armies of Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaeakwad took the citadel and brought an end of Mughal rule at Ahmedabad. During the Maratha regime, Ahmedabad was for all intents and purposes divided into two halves , one into the hand of Peshwa and the other into the hands of Gaekwad,the jurisdiction exercised by the Peshwa being greater.The condition of Ahmedabad, during the 64-year-long Maratha rule went from bad to worse owing to the constant struggle between the Peshwa and the Gaekwad and the retrograde and oppressive policy pursued during this period. During this period of decline and insecurity that characterized 64 years of Maratha rule, suburbs were deserted, places and mansions were in ruinous state, roads in hopeless state of disrepair, and the fort wall that enclosed the city had fallen off at many places. The area outside Panchkuwa and Delhi gates was reduced to wilderness visited by wild animals like tiger which was hunted in the third decade of the 19th century in the mosque at mirzapur. It was in 1818 when the British took over the administration of Ahmedabad,that the birthing period appeared.The British rule brought the benefits of peaceful and orderly administration. Ahmedabad gradually started coming into its own. The population of the city which has gone down to 80,000 in 1817,gradually went on growing from on decade to another. Cantonment was established in 1824. A Municipal Committee was formed in 1834 and regular Municipal administration introduced in 1858. The railway link between Ahmedabad and Bombay was established during the year 1864. Thus, in view of such welfare activities and amenities provided in the public interest, the spirit of Ahmedabad,which was lying dormant in the preceding century, was now awakened and expressed itself in all walks of life. After a lapse of another century, destiny chose Ahmedabad to play an outstanding role in the country's struggle for freedom under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi who stated in the city of his return from South Africa in 1915 and established his famous Ashram on the banks of Sabarmati. Today Ahmedabad is a unique city, even for India, for it blends harmoniously an ancient heritage with a vibrant present. A model city in terms of its ideals and aspirations, what is remarkable about Ahmedabad is its harmony between art and industry, between a reverence to the past and a vision for the future.: Glorious History of Ahmedabad King Karandev – 1, the Solanki Ruler, had waged a war against the Bhil king of Ashapall or Ashaval. After his victory Karandev established the city called "Karnavati". This Hindu kingdom of Karnavati retained its importance till early 15th century when Gujarat fell to the Muslim Sultanate. This was when Sultan Ahmad Shah conquered Karnavati in 1411 A.D. If legends are to be believed Sultan Ahmed Shah was astonished to see that the rabbits on the river bank, instead of running away in terror confronted his hounds in defiance. Believing the land to be sanctified he laid the foundation of Ahmedabad-"The city of Ahmed" at 1.20PM on Thursday the second day of jilkad A.H. (26th Jan 1411 A.D.) The city enjoyed the position of royal capital for a period of about 162 years, 1411-1573 A.D. till the independent Sultanate of Gujarat came to an end in reign of Murzaffar-III. As regards the location of the three towns of Ashaval,Karnavati and Ahmedabad ,Ferguson comments: Modern investigation has not yet proceeded sufficiently far to enable it to be stated with certainty how far Karnavati was contiguous to or identical with Ashawal and Shreenaggur,both of which names occur in early records as those of a great city hereabouts,but there can be no doubt that the new town of Ahmed Shah, to which he gave the name Ahmedabad, and its suburbs, embraced them all. Ahmedabad was built in an open and spacious plain in the immediate vicinity of Ashaval to the east of Sabarmati. It then comprised a smaller now known as the Bhadra Fort or the citadel of Bhadra. Other structures were added to its from time to time. The city was enclosed by a fortwall six miles in the circumference containing 12 gates, 189 bastions and over 6000 battlements in 1487 by Mohammed Begdo, the grandson of Ahmedshah, to protect it from outside invaders. It was planned according to the ancient Indo-Aryan tradition of a royal capital with main roads, thoroughfares and subsidiary roads. Under the fostering care of the sultans of Gujarat , the city of Ahmedabad went on expanding in every direction by the addition of new localities and suburbs,on both the sides of river, and gradually rose into a well built city, with well-laid-out residential in marketing areas and beautified by palaces,mansions, mausoleums and mosques of reservoirs(lakes) and gardens erected by the noblemen of the sultans and wealthy merchants of the capital. Conditions of the province were chaotic in the time of Sultan Muzaffar III. Akbar, the great Moghul emperor, started out the Gujarat expedition and conquered it in 1573.Though Ahmedabad lost its importance as the capital of Gujarat during Moghul reign, it retained its importance as one of the thriving centres of trade in the country and chief city of Gujarat. The author of "Haft-Iqlim" (1593) refers to its fame as a grand and flourishing center of commerce and industry in the following words: Ahmedabad is unique in the whole of India in matter of neatness and flourishing condition, and it is superior to other city in the excellence of its monuments. It would be no exaggeration to say that in the whole world there exists no town so grand and beautiful. Its streets are spacious and well arranged, unlike those in other towns, its shops with two or three stories each are finely built, and its inhabitants both men and women are graceful and delicate. The moghul rulers that followed Aurangzeb were weak and the moghul viceroys(Subas) were busy fighting amongst themselves and with the Marathas. This resulted in disorder in the country, and from 1737 to 1753, there was a joint rule of Mughal Viceroy and the Peshwa over Ahmedabad. In 1753 the combined armies of Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaeakwad took the citadel and brought an end of Mughal rule at Ahmedabad. During the Maratha regime, Ahmedabad was for all intents and purposes divided into two halves , one into the hand of Peshwa and the other into the hands of Gaekwad,the jurisdiction exercised by the Peshwa being greater.The condition of Ahmedabad, during the 64-year-long Maratha rule went from bad to worse owing to the constant struggle between the Peshwa and the Gaekwad and the retrograde and oppressive policy pursued during this period. During this period of decline and insecurity that characterized 64 years of Maratha rule, suburbs were deserted, places and mansions were in ruinous state, roads in hopeless state of disrepair, and the fort wall that enclosed the city had fallen off at many places. The area outside Panchkuwa and Delhi gates was reduced to wilderness visited by wild animals like tiger which was hunted in the third decade of the 19th century in the mosque at mirzapur. It was in 1818 when the British took over the administration of Ahmedabad,that the birthing period appeared.The British rule brought the benefits of peaceful and orderly administration. Ahmedabad gradually started coming into its own. The population of the city which has gone down to 80,000 in 1817,gradually went on growing from on decade to another. Cantonment was established in 1824. A Municipal Committee was formed in 1834 and regular Municipal administration introduced in 1858. The railway link between Ahmedabad and Bombay was established during the year 1864. Thus, in view of such welfare activities and amenities provided in the public interest, the spirit of Ahmedabad,which was lying dormant in the preceding century, was now awakened and expressed itself in all walks of life. After a lapse of another century, destiny chose Ahmedabad to play an outstanding role in the country's struggle for freedom under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi who stated in the city of his return from South Africa in 1915 and established his famous Ashram on the banks of Sabarmati. Today Ahmedabad is a unique city, even for India, for it blends harmoniously an ancient heritage with a vibrant present. A model city in terms of its ideals and aspirations, what is remarkable about Ahmedabad is its harmony between art and industry, between a reverence to the past and a vision for the future. Category:Location